If a painter sees only with his eyes, then he should be called a painter. When a painter, using all five senses, sees with his mind through his eyes, he should be called an artist. If you close your eyes for a moment and allow your hands to play with the surface of a piece of statuary, then you can clearly “see” the figure you are touching in your mind. To see only with the eyes is to see only the effect of light striking an object and reflecting. To hear sounds help the artist to see. To touch, taste and smell adds to the artist’s ability to understand and see more quickly the subject before him. A picture that is painted with great technical knowledge only will not convey to the viewer the deep emotional quality that a work of art should possess. Read the rest of this entry »